This picture is a good depiction of me during my Spring Break, reading and drinking too many cups of tea and coffee, and over Easter weekend I was able to get my hands on a copy of “The Winner’s Kiss” by Marie Rutkoski, and ended up finishing it before a family gathering. *sighs* Marie’s words are something to be savored, but I had to read as fast as I could because I knew that I would be sitting at dinner thinking about what might happen at the end of “The Winner’s Kiss” up until I got home and could finish it. Despite having finished it before I left the house, I still found myself thinking about Marie’s final book in “The Winner’s Trilogy,” but in a good, slightly bittersweet way. It was sad to say goodbye to these characters and this trilogy, but I was also happy to know how Marie Rutkoski had decided to close the story that she wrote in “The Winner’s Trilogy.” I am equal parts sorrow and happiness, and reading “The Winner’s Kiss” makes me want to go back and reread “The Winner’s Curse” again, where this beautiful journey began.

I just love this quote by Emily Brontë! I find her description of dreams, whether they be the kind you have while you sleep or the ones you experience wide awake, and how they can change your perspective. For me, I think that books are the kind of waking dreams that have colored my thinking, and I love that they can be portals to new ideas and concepts that I may not have thought about or noticed. I feel like literature is one of the most powerful tools for making good changes come about besides action because it can help people see the different angles that every story has, and it has the power to touch and move people. Not a lot of things in the world can do that, and I think it’s beautiful how much good people can do, the hope they can bring, if they wield the sword of the written word to bring others together. I love the written word because it has the ability to bring people from all walks of life to a place where they can share and relate to each other (nothing’s better than bonding with a fellow shipper of your favorite book couple!), and it has forever altered how I look at people and the world.